Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for the Environment and Water. Scott Reef, off the Kimberley coast, is one of the last untouched jewels in our oceans. It is home to 54 threatened species, including endangered pygmy blue whales and green turtles, which will be at serious risk if you give Woodside a permit to pump gas from under the reef. Will you use your power to prevent the Browse project proceeding in this term of parliament, or was your commitment to no new extinctions just a feel-good media release?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. As I've said in this place before, I can't give commentary on individual projects that may come before me as the minister. The assessment of this project is currently paused while the Western Australian EPA and Woodside provide more information.

But I would say to her that, if she is genuinely interested in the transition that this country needs to make to a future that has more renewable energy, she should be backing this side, she should be backing the measures that we're taking on the transition to renewable energy and she should be backing our environmental law reform, which is the best way to secure a future for the threatened species that she is claiming to be concerned about. Those threatened species would benefit from an environment protection agency with stronger powers and penalties, including the ability to issue stop-work orders and the ability to audit proponents.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So much enthusiasm!

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The former environment minister, who did nothing during her term, loves to interject. Wouldn't it be great if only she'd ever had the chance to do a single thing? To be fair, she hid a report.

I want to say to the Greens political party: you have the opportunity to vote in the Senate for stronger powers for an EPA and for stronger penalties—changing maximum penalties for wrongdoing in the environment from under $15 million to $780 million. Is that the sort of thing you'd expect the Greens to support? Yes, it kind of is. They have the opportunity to vote for millions of dollars of extra investment to protect threatened species through the establishment of Environment Information Australia. Apparently, they're not interested in that either. The Greens political party have a chance to vote for stronger protections for nature. They should take it.

Incidentally, those sitting opposite also have the opportunity to see better, faster decisions made for business. We are investing around $100 million to speed up approvals. Environmental approvals under this government are on time at a rate twice as high as under the previous government. We've already made significant improvements since the former minister was in charge. We'd like to see further improvements as well, along with better environmental protections. If those up there in the Greens political party really want stronger protections for nature, they should tell their friends in the Senate to vote for stronger protections for nature.